Journal of Jane
by Aphrodite in Disguise
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Journal of Jane, story of the eldest Bennet sister. Events of Pride and Prejudice have been written from Jane's point of view. Canon compliant.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Recently, I haven't been feeling very inspired and most of my other stories are still incomplete. I hope to work on them soon, but till then, I present to you the Journal of Jane, story of the eldest Bennet sister, intended to be canon compliant. I apologise for any errors and poor writing, and hope you enjoy this.**

Dear Diary,

I am Jane Bennet of Hertfordshire, eldest of our parents' five daughters, and I am very pleased to be gifted this notebook.

My younger sister Elizabeth Bennet, or Lizzy, as I prefer to call her, walked to Meryton with Lydia and Kitty, my youngest sisters, and returned clutching two beautiful notebooks.

"One for me and one for you", she said.

Lizzy chose the red one and I took the blue one, and we both agreed to write in our diaries as often as we were able to. Lizzy says she intends to write all the rude things that she thinks but cannot say in public in hers. Honestly, though, Lizzy is scarcely ever rude, only very witty.

I couldn't think of anything to write at first, but then I decided to stop worrying and simply let the words flow, and it seems to have worked. I have filled an entire page without even realising it.

I suppose I should describe our household, so that if anyone should ever read this, they would not feel all muddled up. Not that it is likely that my diary will be found, for only Lizzy knows about it and we solemnly swore that we wouldn't look through each other's diaries.

Even so, a brief description of the house is in order.

My parents, Fanny and Thomas Bennet settled in Longbourn soon after their marriage. The estate is entailed away to our cousin, so we shall have nowhere to go should Papa die before any of us are married. Thankfully, both Mama and Papa are likely to live for several years.

Papa hoped to have a son who would inherit the house, but after five daughters, he was forced to acknowledge defeat and simply hope that we would end up well settled.

I was born soon after my parents got married, and Lizzy was born a year later. Being so close in age, we became close friends as well. There is nothing that we hide from one another and I often feel fortunate that I have a sister like her. It is Lizzy who brought me this diary, but of course I've already mentioned that.

Two years after Lizzy's birth, Mary was born. Mary was often unwell as a child, but she grew up to be a fine young woman. Mary is very accomplished indeed. She reads several books, like Lizzy does, except Mary chooses to read far more serious content while Lizzy's playful spirits seek a different kind of literature. Mary plays the piano forte very well indeed. She practices so dedicatedly that the rest of us often feel embarrassed by her diligence, for we tend to ignore our own practice more often than not.

Kitty is a year younger than Mary. They are as close in age as me and Lizzy, but sadly not as deeply attached to each other.

I struggle to describe Kitty. She is very energetic and good hearted. All of us dance well, but I'd say Kitty has the most practise. Kitty used to draw very well when she was younger, but ever since she came out, she hasn't had much time to keep up with it. I still have some of her finest sketches. Truly, she is very talented.

Lydia is two years younger than Kitty, but that is easily forgotten when one looks at them. They spend much time in each other's company. They look alike and even talk so similarly that on occasion they have been mistaken for twins.

Kitty is very energetic, but Lydia surpasses her. With her elaborate pranks and vivacious personality, Lydia keeps us on our toes.

My description does not seem to do her justice. Lydia is only fifteen, the youngest of Bennet girls. Indeed, some people may criticise our parents for letting her out so young, but it seems unfair that she should not have her share of fun before her marriage.

I suppose the best way to describe Lydia is this- she is the person to turn to if you wish to know the latest fashions or gossip. I do not mean this as criticism. Lydia is incredibly aware of all that happens around her, far more than I was at her age. I cannot help marvelling at the ease with which she seems to soak in all information that interests her.

There, I have written a brief description of our family, and I suppose more details should only bore the reader.

I have written about my sisters, but I quite forgot to say any about our parents at all. Lizzy would find that very amusing.

Our father is very learned indeed. Lizzy is said to take after him, for they share the same interests and delight in mocking anything ridiculous and often spend hours together in the library.

Our mother, Frances Bennet, was a lawyer's daughter, but after marriage to Papa, she became a gentleman's wife instead. I have heard that she was bright, cheerful, energetic and very beautiful in her youth, much like Lydia. She became an excellent Mistress of Longbourn and has lovingly cared for the house ever since she came here.

I feel as though I could go on and on, describing all our relations and everything that lives in this house, but my hands are cramped from holding the pen for so long and it shall be time for supper, so other details must wait for another time. Until then, I remain

Yours faithfully,

Jane Bennet.

 **A/N- Thank you for reading this story. I'd be very grateful for your feedback and suggestions. I'm looking for a beta for this story, so if you are interested, do PM me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Thanks for your kind reviews, readers. Appropriate changes have been made, and I hope that you will enjoy this chapter as well.**

Dear Diary,

I fear I have neglected you altogether lately. Writing regularly has never been one of my strong points. Of all my sisters, Kitty is perhaps the best at keeping a diary, but she has not had much time for it either, recently.

I suppose I couldn't think of what to say to you, but I realised that I had not told you about Mr Bingley when Lydia mentioned him today.

Mrs Long, our neighbour, told Mama about Mr Bingley, the gentleman who has taken Netherfield Park. We do not know much about him yet, except that he is apparently very wealthy, very impressed with Netherfield, and expected to take possession of the property very soon.

I forget the most important part! Mr Bingley is single. That is the reason his arrival has caused such a stir in our quiet life.

You may remember, perhaps, that Longbourn is entailed away to a distant relative and we should have nowhere to go to if Papa were to die. This fact causes Mama much anxiety and she is often nervous. She hopes to see us all well settled, and if one of us were to make a match with a gentleman as wealthy as Mr Bingley, her mind would be greatly eased.

Our neighbours, Sir William and Lady Lucas, are determined to visit him as soon as he arrives, for they too desire that their daughters be settled well.

Mama wishes Papa would do the same, but he has not yet agreed to visit Mr Bingley. I do not know how long the resistance will last. When Mama wants him to do something, she can be very persistent, especially if it is for the good of us girls.

Mama appears to be quite vexed, and has been a little bad tempered lately, but I can hardly blame her, for she is genuinely concerned that we may end up as old maids and does her best to protect us from such a fate.

I do hope that one of us sisters gets married well soon, for I hate seeing Mama so troubled.

At the moment, I think she would be quite content if only Papa would visit Mr Bingley.

Yours,

Jane Bennet.

* * *

Dear Diary,

Papa visited Mr Bingley!

Mama had been so upset by his continued refusal to do so that she had quite given up hope. We were all so pleasantly surprised when he told us, for we had no idea that he had made up his mind to visit Mr Bingley.

But let me tell you how he broke the news to us.

I am certain you recall how troubled Mama was by his assurances that he should not call on Mr Bingley. When Mama is vexed, she tends to become rather snappish. Earlier today, Lizzy informed us that the next ball is in a fortnight, and though Mrs Long promised to introduce us to Mr Bingley, it is not possible for she returns a day before and will not know him herself.

Mama was in an awful mood then, scolding Kitty for coughing and vexing her and speaking ill of Mrs Long, saying that she would not introduce us to Mr Bingley even if she could, for she herself has two nieces of marriageable age.

That was when Papa suggested that Mama could introduce Mrs Long and her two nieces to Mr Bingley, as an act of kindness. Mama was quite perplexed by his teasing, and none of us had any idea about what he was getting at, except Lizzy, who guessed that he must have visited Mr Bingley.

We were all overjoyed, of course, when he finally revealed that he had paid a call to Mr Bingley this morning. Mama was absolutely delighted, her previous discomfort forgotten. She kept saying that she had known all along that she would certainly manage to persuade Papa to call on Mr Bingley, and she was quite right.

The remainder of the evening passed peacefully, filled with excited discussions of Mr Bingley. I do so look forward to meeting him, and that might happen very soon if we invite him to dinner.

I must stop writing now, for I intend to discuss Mr Bingley with Lizzy before we sleep.

Jane.

* * *

Dear Diary,

We have been trying to get Papa to tell about Mr Bingley, but he has proven to be surprising skilled at eluding our questions, and we are so very frustrated.

Thankfully, Lady Lucas could pass on some information, for Sir William too called on Mr Bingley, like I had mentioned.

The report is favourable. Sir William was quite delighted with him. Mr Bingley is said to be young, handsome and agreeable, qualities that every young woman wishes for in her husband. Also, he intends to be at the next assembly and is fond of dancing. He sounds like the perfect husband for some fortunate girl and I am more curious than ever to meet him.

Today, he returned Papa's visit and sat a few minutes within in the library. We hoped to see him, but could not. Despite all our attempts, the best we could determine was that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse. I am afraid this information brings us no closer to knowing Mr Bingley.

I wonder if he has heard of us and if he wished to see us. I suppose in a few days we shall finally meet him, but the wait seems to be so long. I keep imagining what he could be like and Kitty made a rough sketch of what she expects Mr Bingley to look like.

Mama intends to invite him to dinner very soon.

I look forward to it.

Yours,

Jane.

* * *

Dear Diary,

I mentioned in my last entry that Mama was going to send an invitation to Mr Bingley for dinner.

She did, and had already planned the courses when his reply arrived. He said that he was obliged to be in town the next day and was thus unable to accept the honour of the invitation. I cannot help wondering if he was genuinely disappointed or relieved at this turn of events. He may not like the idea of socialising with us. Then again, if he wished for London society, surely he would not have taken Netherfield?

Mama was quite worried, for what business could he have in town so soon after his arrival here? He may always be flying from one place to another, never quite settled in Netherfield. I am beginning to doubt if we should view him as a possible groom for one of us.

Lady Lucas has told us not to worry, for the only purpose of his going to London is to get a large party for the ball. According to latest gossip, he is expected to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen. The large number of ladies has quite put us off, for none of us find sitting during dances agreeable.

I wonder if he will even notice us among all his friends.

But now you must excuse me, for I have promised to help Kitty buy a new ribbon for the ball.

I remain,

Yours faithfully,

Jane Bennet.

* * *

Dear Diary,

The news seems to change every day. Now we have been told that instead of twelve, only six ladies came with Mr Bingley from London; five sisters and a cousin.

We shall finally see him tomorrow, at the ball. I feel quite giddy with excitement. It has been so long since any new people were added to the Hertfordshire society and though it has been less than three weeks since we heard of him, I feel as though we have waited an age to make his acquaintance. For days, we have talked of little else, and I fear that you must be quite bored with the lack of variety in my entries.

Never mind, I hope to have lots more to tell you after the ball.

And now I must rush, for there is so much to do the day before a ball!

Jane Bennet.

 **A/N- I hope you enjoyed this update. The next chapter will be all about the ball, and I'm very excited about writing it. I'd really appreciate your suggestions and feedback, and if you're willing to beta this story, do PM me.**


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